Frailty elearning free to all

The British Geriatrics Society has updated and relaunched its Frailty elearning course, which is free to all health and social care professionals.

The British Geriatrics Society (BGS) has updated its popular Frailty elearning course for 2023 and is relaunching it, with funding from NHS England. This CPD accredited course is free for all health and social care professionals to access, until June 2024.

First launched in 2019, the updated course is part of a suite of frailty resources from the BGS. More than 2,000 learners have undertaken the course.

The frailty elearning course is suitable for any health and social care professional who provides care and services for older people living with or at risk of frailty. It is particularly aimed at professionals who deal with complex cases or who lead services (Tier 3 competency), complementing the elearning in place for Tiers 1 and 2. This includes not only geriatricians but also all health professionals with a high degree of autonomy providing healthcare for older people. This includes acute based medical staff as well as GPs, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Pharmacists, Physician Associates, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals. Care at home, Care Home staff and Social Workers leading services are also eligible.

The course is delivered via self-paced online distance learning and is broken down into four modules: -

• Understanding and Communicating Frailty
• Identifying Frailty
• Supporting People Living with Frailty
• Building Systems Fit for Frailty

Successful completion of the course leads to 10 CPD credits (from the Royal College of Physicians London). It will equip professionals with the knowledge to be able to provide the best possible care for people living with frailty, including completion of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments (CGAs).

Learners are able to choose the pathway best suited to their professional needs. Learners can choose a tailored pathway from:

• Acute pathway
• Community pathway
• Intermediate care pathway

The elearning course is presented in an engaging interactive way to suit different learning styles. This includes videos from leading experts, such as Dr James Ray, Emergency Medicine Consultant, National Clinical Advisor Fiona Wisniacki, National Clinical Lead - SDEC (Same Day Emergency Care) and leading experts in Geriatric Medicine including Professor Jugdeep Dhesi, Dr Adrian Hopper, Professor Finbarr Martin.

Professor Adam Gordon, President of the British Geriatrics Society, said:

Around 10% of people aged 65 and over and a quarter to a half of those aged over 85 live with frailty costing healthcare systems approximately £5.8 billion per year. It is therefore essential that the health and social care workforce is equipped with the skills and knowledge to care for people living with frailty. I am delighted that with the support of NHS England, the BGS has relaunched and updated this vital educational resource to help professionals improve their understanding of frailty.”

Dr Adrian Hayter, National Clinical Director for Older People and Person-Centred Care, said:

Professionals across health and care organisations are supporting older people living with frailty across many new pathways and settings. From Proactive care in General Practice to Urgent Community Response, staff are working with older people in their homes and in community settings. Patients are being identified at an earlier stage in Hospital Emergency Departments being further managed in 'Same Day Emergency Care' (SDEC) or acute hospital wards but more recently in Frailty 'Virtual Wards' (Hospital at Home). I'm glad that this updated resource is now free to all professionals and shall support the skills and competencies required by those who work on the front line to improve the experience and outcomes for older people."